MLB Draft Chat

Prepare yourself for Tyler Colvin 2: Electric Boogaloo.

This year’s crop of college position players is pretty bad.

Pie 3.0 or Patterson 4.0.

I hate the words “5 tool player” or ·"toolsy" and that was one of the first things I read about this guy. I mean, there are some guys like that who are good, but they don’t get drafted/developed by the Cubs.

Not as good as his rotation teammates Paxton and Meyer, but he’s got the kind of stuff that’ll allow him to move quickly through the system, which is good for a senior sign. He works fastball/curve/change with the FB in the upper 80s, touching low 90s on occasion with excellent command of his stuff. He has a bit of an injury history due to arthroscopic elbow surgery this past offseason and has a deceptive, albeit unusual, delivery that may have contributed to it.

A bit on the raw side and probably an overdraft, Darvill is an intriguing player who will probably end up moving to 3B due to his large stature (6’3 175 pounds). He hasn’t quite hit for the power you’d like to see out of a future 3B, but his bat speed and his arm suggest that he could get the job done at 3B. It’s mostly a matter of seeing how his power develops. As a left handed hitter, he seems to fit the Cubs’ ongoing mission to get more lefties in the organization.

Raley was arguably the best two way draft eligible player coming into the season. Most scouts thought he’d end up as a LHP, especially given his sinking fastball that he works with in the high 80s/low 90s and a biting slider, although he also offers a curveball and changeup which have been workable pitches. He has a fantastic presence on the mound and very good command of his pitches. The biggest problem with him has been that he just completely collapsed down the stretch, both as a pitcher and as a hitter. Some worry that his body might not be able to take the workload that would come from being a starter, although others think he still has room to grow and mature as a pitcher.

As a hitter, he profiles more as a slap-happy CF. His primary value is on the mound and the Cubs should stick with him there.

Raw, Raw, Raw. An unheralded prospect out of Illinois, he has enough tools to dream on as a potential SS/OF down the line. He’s a good athlete, fast, could hit for a bit of power, and has a strong enough arm to play SS without much trouble. The Cubs should be able to buy him out of his commitment to Illinois State without much trouble.

Sleeper prospect out of New York whose fastball works in the high 80s to go with a terrific knuckle curveball and two passable pitches in a slider and change. At 6’5 185 pounds, he has a wiry frame that has room for projection, although there are some questions as to whether his body could add more muscle onto it. Good value here.

Think Jake Fox from the left side. He’s a power hitter through and through, with contact possibly being an issue down the road. He’s not going to stick at catcher due to defensive failings, although his arm is good enough that a move to 3B is a possibility.

Can’t find much on him. There’s talk that he might have a future on the mound, as he’s been clocked in the low 90s on the mound.

Two-way player who’s committed to USF. That’s about all I got.

The A’s apparently have devoted more of their resources to their draft budget. If Stassi’s not asking for crazy money, he’ll get signed.

He’s a two sport player and could actually end up playing DB for a BCS school next season. As a baseball player, he has a lot of great athletic tools both in the field and on the mound. However, he is incredibly raw and would need a decent amount of time to tap into his potential in baseball. He’ll be hard to sign this far down.

He has a questionable past, to say the least. Last year in the Cape Cod League, a drunk teammate ran him over and pinned him under a truck. He was also suspended from the UNC baseball team for violating team rules, although the specific violation was never made public.

Solid, but unspectacular player at catcher. He’s good behind the plate, but he’s not all that great when it comes to throwing out the runner. His bat is nothing to write home about.

Dropped due to signability concerns, he could have gone 10 rounds higher. However, he has very good power in his bat and could be an asset behind the plate. He needs to get in better shape and log more time behind the dish before he can get to that point, though.

Had elbow surgery and missed the 2009 season. He was expected to have been one of the better pitchers for Miami this past season, so his incentive to go back should be fairly high. However, with the Cubs selecting only a handful of guys dropping due to signability, he could be had.

Oozes tools, but he’s hit .212 this season while striking out 53 times in 179 ABs. Seems like a good ceiling guy, but his bust potential is pretty high. As a 23rd rounder, you can’t ask for much more.

Sleeper! He has a strong commitment to Kansas State, but he’s got a good frame for a young pitcher. He currently works high 80s with a developing slider and change. He could add some velocity as he gets older. Should be interesting to see if the Cubs go over slot to get him.

Should hit for power and average, has pretty good defensive tools at 1B. Might not be a bad pick.

Potential relief prospect. Throws a good fastball and not much else. He’ll probably return for his senior year to up his draft stock.

Don’t know anything about him except that the Cubs drafted him last year in the 41st round and didn’t sign him. Considering the Cubs need permission to re-draft players and they picked him here, I’m guessing he’ll sign.

Another relief prospect, he saw his stuff decline this season in terms of velocity and command after flashing a fastball in the low 90s and a good cutter/slider. Was hitting low to mid 80s and subsequently ended up in the bullpen as a result.

Not much to note about this group. The Cubs usually don’t sign a whole lot of their picks from 31-50 since most of these guys would rather continue their amateur careers (either through going to school, going back to school for senior year, or transferring) in order to up their draft stocks. The information on a lot of these guys is almost non-existent, to boot.

However, one interesting thing to note is that 47th rounder Joseph Jocketty is Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty’s son.